Tradeweb Markets, PayPal, SEC, and More: Executive Moves of the Week

Sunday, 23/06/2024 | 06:00 GMT by Jared Kirui
  • Notable executive moves witnessed this week came from the fintech, forex, digital asset, and regulatory sectors.
executive-moves-of-the-week

This week, there was an upsurge in the executive moves from notable brands in the industry across the sectors, such as fintech, forex, digital asset, and regulatory sectors. This compared to most appointments, promotions, and exit reported last week.

Tradeweb reshuffled its executive team, whereby President Thomas Pluta left, while Amy Clack joined as the CAO; PayPal named Walmart's Former Executive Srini Venkatesan as the Chief Technology Officer; Hantec Markets onboarded Rajan Naik as the Global Head of Marketing; Susanne Chishti will retire as CMC Markets' Non-Executive Director; Dukascopy Bank's Former Executive Sofian Berrahal stepped in as the CEO of Nexpay; Marex Group named Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR, succeeding Karen Neffar; SEC's Crypto Chief David Hirsch resigned after nearly nine years, LMAX tapped Blockchain Technology Expert Luke Dorney to spearhead digital asset custody service; Andrew Taylor joined Scope Prime as the APAC Head.

Delve into our executive move segment this week as we uncover important appointments, departures, and promotions across the industry in our exclusive coverage this week.

Executive Moves of the Week

Tradeweb Reshuffles Executive Team: President Thomas Pluta Leaves, Amy Clack Joins as CAO

Tradeweb Markets made notable changes to its leadership team. The firm appointed Amy Clack as its new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), while President Thomas Pluta will be leaving later this year. Clack is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the financial services sector. She joins Tradeweb from Wells Fargo's Corporate and Investment Banking unit. Her professional background includes a role as Chief Operating Officer for Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Credit Suisse.

Amy Clack, Source: LinkedIn

In her new position as the CAO, Clack will oversee operations, business integration, risk, and corporate services, working closely with Tradeweb's leadership to sustain the company's growth trajectory. Tradeweb's CEO Billy Hult mentioned: "We are pleased to welcome Amy Clack to the team as CAO. Clack brings a wealth of relevant expertise in driving best-in-class global operations and acquisition integration, making her ideally suited to help accelerate our progress." Meanwhile, President Pluta will exit the firm effective September 30, 2024.

Discover more about leadership changes at Tradeweb and the appointment of Amy Clack and Thomas Pluta.

PayPal Names Walmart's Former Executive Srini Venkatesan as Chief Technology Officer

PayPal named Srini Venkatesan as the Chief Technology Officer. Venkatesan is an expert technologist with a background in technology and retail. He will assume his role as PayPal's Chief Technology Officer on June 24, whereby he will oversee the development and implementation of advanced technology across PayPal's network, and will report directly to the President and CEO Alex Chriss.

Srini Venkatesan, Source: LinkedIn

Venkatesan's responsibilities will include spearheading efforts in analytics and data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, information security, infrastructure operations, and product engineering. He joins PayPal from Walmart, where he led the US Omni Platforms and Tech organization. At Walmart, he was reportedly instrumental in developing platforms and features that underpin the retailer on a global scale. Previously, he led Yahoo's display and video ad technology platform and held key technology positions at eBay, StubHub, and Marketo.

Display more about the entry of Srini Venkatesan as PayPal's Chief Technology Officer.

Hantec Markets Names Rajan Naik as New Global Head of Marketing

Hantec Markets onboarded Rajan Naik as the new Global Head of Marketing. In this role, Naik will be responsible for shaping the retail and institutional trading brokerage firm's marketing, overseeing global strategies, and growing the Hantec Markets brand. Naik brings over 15 years of experience in the trading industry to his new role. Previously, he served as Head of Marketing at INFINOX for more than five years, where he led brand expansion and marketing initiatives.

Rajan Naik, Source: LinkedIn

His prior experience includes management and advisory roles at trading education brands, including Lear to Trade and other brokerage firms, such as Financial Markets Online. Naik's appointment followed several recent additions to Hantec Markets' leadership team. Norayr Djerrahian, formerly the Head of Strategy and Innovation, stepped up as Chief Strategy Officer, while Michael O'Sullivan, previously the Head of Technology, has moved into the role of Chief Technology Officer.

Reveal more about Hantec Market's appointment of Rajan Naik as New Global Head of Marketing.

Susanne Chishti to Retire as CMC Markets' Non-Executive Director

Meanwhile, Susanne Chishti is set to retire as a Non-Executive Director at CMC Markets, the forex and CFD brokerage firm, after spending more than two years in the role. Chishti will remain in this position until the conclusion of the AGM set for 25 July 2024. The London-headquartered brokerage firm is reportedly searching for Chishti's successor. Although no particular deadline has been mentioned, nominations for a new Non-Executive Director are expected in the coming months.

Susanne Chishti, Source: Linkedin

Chishti also sits on the board of Crown Agents Bank and Lenderwize and serves as an Advisory Board Member at The British Blockchain Association. Besides that, she was previously a Non-Executive Director of SafeCharge from March 2019 until October 2019. She started her career in 1995 at Hewlett-Packard and has worked for big names like Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group.

Find out more about the retirement of Susanne Chishti as CMC Markets' Non-Executive Director.

Dukascopy Bank's Former Executive Sofian Berrahal Steps In as CEO of Nexpay

Dukascopy Bank's former Head of Sales, Sofian Berrahal, is now the new CEO of Nexpay, a payment infrastructure provider for digital companies. This change in the company's top leadership followed Uldis Tฤ“raudkalns's exit from his role as CEO this month. Berrahal has been at the helm of Nexpay since late 2022.

Sofian Berrahal, Source: LinkedIn

He has extensive experience in the banking sector and has been with the company for close to three years, rising from Chief Business Officer to member of the Management Board and now Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Nexpay, Berrahal was the Chief Executive Officer of Nexdesk. At Dukascopy, he held several roles, including the Head of Asia Business Development.

Identify more about Sofian Berrahal's onboarding as the CEO of Nexpay.

Marex Group Names Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR, Succeeding Karen Neffar

Marex Group has onboarded Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR, effective June 24, 2023. Barrett has over two decades of experience in financial services, with an extensive background in international business, organizational transformation, and culture programs. She will take over from Karen Neffar, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests.

Liz Barrett, Source: LinkedIn

Barrett spent four years at Eight Cubed, an HR consultancy, where she managed various international transformation projects prior to her appointment. Her previous roles include a Managing Director position at the London Stock Exchange, where she was involved in acquisition integration and HR. As Barrett steps into her new role, Marex also bids farewell to Karen Neffar, who resigned from the company to pursue personal interests and other projects.

Find out more about the appointment of Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR and the resignation of Karen Neffar.

SEC's Crypto Chief David Hirsch Resigns after Nearly Nine Years

David Hirsch, the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Chief for the Crypto Asset and Cyber Unit in the Division of Enforcement, left after dedicating almost nine years to the commission. Speaking about this change, Hirsch said: "This past Friday was my last day with the SEC after almost nine years. During that time I had the opportunity to work on more complex, challenging investigations and issues than I ever imagined when I joined the agency as a staff attorney in the Fort Worth Regional Office.

David Hirsch, Source: LinkedIn

Hirsch held other notable roles at the SEC before his promotion to the Chief of the Crypto Asset and Cyber Unit in the Division of Enforcement. He was the Enforcement Attorney based in Fort Worth and previously dedicated over two years as the Counsel to Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw. "I am particularly proud of the historic work done by the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit team I had the privilege to lead," he added.

Find out more about the resignation of David Hirsch from the SEC after almost nine years.

LMAX Taps Blockchain Technology Expert Luke Dorney to Lead Digital Asset Custody

LMAX Group tapped Luke Dorney to lead its growth strategy for digital asset custody. Dorney, who previously served at Blockdaemon in different roles, including Head of Sales EMEA, General Manager and VP of Sales for EMEA, and General Manager and VP of Sales for US and EMEA, will join the group as the Head of Custody.

Luke Dorney, Source: LinkedIn

Last month, LMAX Group named Chris Knight as the Managing Director. Knight, an experienced financial markets professional with decades of industry experience, will reportedly move from Sydney to London to assume his new role over the summer. In his new role, Knight will oversee the operations and future growth strategy of LMAX Digital, the group's institutional cryptocurrency exchange.

Investigate more about the entry of Luke Dorney to LMAX and other recent changes in the group.

Exclusive: Andrew Taylor Joins Scope Prime as the APAC Head

Scope Markets boosted its institutional liquidity division, Scope Prime, by onboarding Andrew Taylor as the Head of Scope Prime APAC. In the Sydney-based position, Taylor will be tasked with establishing an operational presence and growing Scope Prime's share of the market across the Asia-Pacific region. However, his initial focus will be on establishing the regional office.

Andrew Taylor, Source: LinkedIn

Taylor is a financial markets veteran and brings more than three decades of experience to the new role at Scope Prime. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of ACY Connect, a division of ACY Securities, a role he held for the last couple of years. He entered the retail forex and CFD industry in 2003 by assuming the role of Business Director at easyMarkets, which he held for about two years. After founding and operating Tailored Markets for three years, he joined GFT Global Markets and then moved to Invast Financial Services as the COO.

Discover more about the appointment of Andrew Taylor as the Head of Scope Prime APAC.

This week, there was an upsurge in the executive moves from notable brands in the industry across the sectors, such as fintech, forex, digital asset, and regulatory sectors. This compared to most appointments, promotions, and exit reported last week.

Tradeweb reshuffled its executive team, whereby President Thomas Pluta left, while Amy Clack joined as the CAO; PayPal named Walmart's Former Executive Srini Venkatesan as the Chief Technology Officer; Hantec Markets onboarded Rajan Naik as the Global Head of Marketing; Susanne Chishti will retire as CMC Markets' Non-Executive Director; Dukascopy Bank's Former Executive Sofian Berrahal stepped in as the CEO of Nexpay; Marex Group named Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR, succeeding Karen Neffar; SEC's Crypto Chief David Hirsch resigned after nearly nine years, LMAX tapped Blockchain Technology Expert Luke Dorney to spearhead digital asset custody service; Andrew Taylor joined Scope Prime as the APAC Head.

Delve into our executive move segment this week as we uncover important appointments, departures, and promotions across the industry in our exclusive coverage this week.

Executive Moves of the Week

Tradeweb Reshuffles Executive Team: President Thomas Pluta Leaves, Amy Clack Joins as CAO

Tradeweb Markets made notable changes to its leadership team. The firm appointed Amy Clack as its new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), while President Thomas Pluta will be leaving later this year. Clack is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the financial services sector. She joins Tradeweb from Wells Fargo's Corporate and Investment Banking unit. Her professional background includes a role as Chief Operating Officer for Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Credit Suisse.

Amy Clack, Source: LinkedIn

In her new position as the CAO, Clack will oversee operations, business integration, risk, and corporate services, working closely with Tradeweb's leadership to sustain the company's growth trajectory. Tradeweb's CEO Billy Hult mentioned: "We are pleased to welcome Amy Clack to the team as CAO. Clack brings a wealth of relevant expertise in driving best-in-class global operations and acquisition integration, making her ideally suited to help accelerate our progress." Meanwhile, President Pluta will exit the firm effective September 30, 2024.

Discover more about leadership changes at Tradeweb and the appointment of Amy Clack and Thomas Pluta.

PayPal Names Walmart's Former Executive Srini Venkatesan as Chief Technology Officer

PayPal named Srini Venkatesan as the Chief Technology Officer. Venkatesan is an expert technologist with a background in technology and retail. He will assume his role as PayPal's Chief Technology Officer on June 24, whereby he will oversee the development and implementation of advanced technology across PayPal's network, and will report directly to the President and CEO Alex Chriss.

Srini Venkatesan, Source: LinkedIn

Venkatesan's responsibilities will include spearheading efforts in analytics and data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, information security, infrastructure operations, and product engineering. He joins PayPal from Walmart, where he led the US Omni Platforms and Tech organization. At Walmart, he was reportedly instrumental in developing platforms and features that underpin the retailer on a global scale. Previously, he led Yahoo's display and video ad technology platform and held key technology positions at eBay, StubHub, and Marketo.

Display more about the entry of Srini Venkatesan as PayPal's Chief Technology Officer.

Hantec Markets Names Rajan Naik as New Global Head of Marketing

Hantec Markets onboarded Rajan Naik as the new Global Head of Marketing. In this role, Naik will be responsible for shaping the retail and institutional trading brokerage firm's marketing, overseeing global strategies, and growing the Hantec Markets brand. Naik brings over 15 years of experience in the trading industry to his new role. Previously, he served as Head of Marketing at INFINOX for more than five years, where he led brand expansion and marketing initiatives.

Rajan Naik, Source: LinkedIn

His prior experience includes management and advisory roles at trading education brands, including Lear to Trade and other brokerage firms, such as Financial Markets Online. Naik's appointment followed several recent additions to Hantec Markets' leadership team. Norayr Djerrahian, formerly the Head of Strategy and Innovation, stepped up as Chief Strategy Officer, while Michael O'Sullivan, previously the Head of Technology, has moved into the role of Chief Technology Officer.

Reveal more about Hantec Market's appointment of Rajan Naik as New Global Head of Marketing.

Susanne Chishti to Retire as CMC Markets' Non-Executive Director

Meanwhile, Susanne Chishti is set to retire as a Non-Executive Director at CMC Markets, the forex and CFD brokerage firm, after spending more than two years in the role. Chishti will remain in this position until the conclusion of the AGM set for 25 July 2024. The London-headquartered brokerage firm is reportedly searching for Chishti's successor. Although no particular deadline has been mentioned, nominations for a new Non-Executive Director are expected in the coming months.

Susanne Chishti, Source: Linkedin

Chishti also sits on the board of Crown Agents Bank and Lenderwize and serves as an Advisory Board Member at The British Blockchain Association. Besides that, she was previously a Non-Executive Director of SafeCharge from March 2019 until October 2019. She started her career in 1995 at Hewlett-Packard and has worked for big names like Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group.

Find out more about the retirement of Susanne Chishti as CMC Markets' Non-Executive Director.

Dukascopy Bank's Former Executive Sofian Berrahal Steps In as CEO of Nexpay

Dukascopy Bank's former Head of Sales, Sofian Berrahal, is now the new CEO of Nexpay, a payment infrastructure provider for digital companies. This change in the company's top leadership followed Uldis Tฤ“raudkalns's exit from his role as CEO this month. Berrahal has been at the helm of Nexpay since late 2022.

Sofian Berrahal, Source: LinkedIn

He has extensive experience in the banking sector and has been with the company for close to three years, rising from Chief Business Officer to member of the Management Board and now Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Nexpay, Berrahal was the Chief Executive Officer of Nexdesk. At Dukascopy, he held several roles, including the Head of Asia Business Development.

Identify more about Sofian Berrahal's onboarding as the CEO of Nexpay.

Marex Group Names Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR, Succeeding Karen Neffar

Marex Group has onboarded Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR, effective June 24, 2023. Barrett has over two decades of experience in financial services, with an extensive background in international business, organizational transformation, and culture programs. She will take over from Karen Neffar, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests.

Liz Barrett, Source: LinkedIn

Barrett spent four years at Eight Cubed, an HR consultancy, where she managed various international transformation projects prior to her appointment. Her previous roles include a Managing Director position at the London Stock Exchange, where she was involved in acquisition integration and HR. As Barrett steps into her new role, Marex also bids farewell to Karen Neffar, who resigned from the company to pursue personal interests and other projects.

Find out more about the appointment of Liz Barrett as the Group Head of HR and the resignation of Karen Neffar.

SEC's Crypto Chief David Hirsch Resigns after Nearly Nine Years

David Hirsch, the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Chief for the Crypto Asset and Cyber Unit in the Division of Enforcement, left after dedicating almost nine years to the commission. Speaking about this change, Hirsch said: "This past Friday was my last day with the SEC after almost nine years. During that time I had the opportunity to work on more complex, challenging investigations and issues than I ever imagined when I joined the agency as a staff attorney in the Fort Worth Regional Office.

David Hirsch, Source: LinkedIn

Hirsch held other notable roles at the SEC before his promotion to the Chief of the Crypto Asset and Cyber Unit in the Division of Enforcement. He was the Enforcement Attorney based in Fort Worth and previously dedicated over two years as the Counsel to Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw. "I am particularly proud of the historic work done by the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit team I had the privilege to lead," he added.

Find out more about the resignation of David Hirsch from the SEC after almost nine years.

LMAX Taps Blockchain Technology Expert Luke Dorney to Lead Digital Asset Custody

LMAX Group tapped Luke Dorney to lead its growth strategy for digital asset custody. Dorney, who previously served at Blockdaemon in different roles, including Head of Sales EMEA, General Manager and VP of Sales for EMEA, and General Manager and VP of Sales for US and EMEA, will join the group as the Head of Custody.

Luke Dorney, Source: LinkedIn

Last month, LMAX Group named Chris Knight as the Managing Director. Knight, an experienced financial markets professional with decades of industry experience, will reportedly move from Sydney to London to assume his new role over the summer. In his new role, Knight will oversee the operations and future growth strategy of LMAX Digital, the group's institutional cryptocurrency exchange.

Investigate more about the entry of Luke Dorney to LMAX and other recent changes in the group.

Exclusive: Andrew Taylor Joins Scope Prime as the APAC Head

Scope Markets boosted its institutional liquidity division, Scope Prime, by onboarding Andrew Taylor as the Head of Scope Prime APAC. In the Sydney-based position, Taylor will be tasked with establishing an operational presence and growing Scope Prime's share of the market across the Asia-Pacific region. However, his initial focus will be on establishing the regional office.

Andrew Taylor, Source: LinkedIn

Taylor is a financial markets veteran and brings more than three decades of experience to the new role at Scope Prime. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of ACY Connect, a division of ACY Securities, a role he held for the last couple of years. He entered the retail forex and CFD industry in 2003 by assuming the role of Business Director at easyMarkets, which he held for about two years. After founding and operating Tailored Markets for three years, he joined GFT Global Markets and then moved to Invast Financial Services as the COO.

Discover more about the appointment of Andrew Taylor as the Head of Scope Prime APAC.

About the Author: Jared Kirui
Jared Kirui
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Jared is an experienced financial journalist passionate about all things forex and CFDs.

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